Crisp, cool mornings remind us that fall is just around the corner.  The crop continues to move quickly towards maturity, and harvest will be in full swing across Latham Country in a couple of weeks.

According to a Sept. 6 crop report by the Iowa Department of Agriculture, 96% of the state’s corn crop has reached dough stage. Eighty-six percent of the corn is at or beyond the dent stage, and 14% of the corn crop is mature.

Time is of the essence!  Plan a successful harvest by scouting fields and evaluating standability.  Identify potential problem areas.  Note crop progress, as well as insect and disease pressure.  Pay particular attention to fields that were damaged by wind and hail, promoting stalk rot.

Stalk rot is caused by stress, including extreme heat and a lack of moisture.  Many acres were stressed this season, so standability could be an issue in several fields.  Note the severity and prioritize fields for harvest.  Implementing a strategy of “harvesting  the worst first” could really pay off this fall when you keep kernals off the ground and in your hopper.  You’ll want to get as many bushels as possible with corn at $7 or more!

For more information on how to detect stalk rot, watch my two-minute video and click here to read a related blog post.

Corn silage harvest is already underway and grain harvest will soon follow.  Are you ready for an early harvest?  Keep these three things in mind when putting together your harvest checklist:

1. Develop a plan. A good plan will outline in order of importance which fields to harvest first. The main consideration when contemplating your harvest order is focusing on fields exhibiting potential for Stalk Rot and subsequent Stalk Lodging. Secondary concerns include hybrid maturity, crop residue management and logistical concerns.

2. Get in your field. Once a harvest plan is developed, get out in your field and assess crop progress and identify potential problem areas. Being aware of crop progress and insect and disease pressure at all times is the best way to ensure maximum yield. If challenges do arise, you might have to harvest early. I am available to help in determining which fields may need to be harvested first. Please don’t hesitate to call!

3. Prepare equipment. Make sure you check machinery and conduct necessary maintenance prior to harvest. I have witnessed growers who, due to conditions like Stalk Rot, should have been harvesting a week earlier than they actually did.  They simply weren’t prepared for an earlier harvest, and as a result, they lost thousands of dollars worth of crops that could have been saved.

Latham sales reps routinely spend time in the cabs of combines each fall, checking out yields and getting feedback directly from our farmer-customers. This year I said, “Why should sales reps have all the fun?” and climbed aboard a few combines myself!  

Thanks to all the customers who let me ride along. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning every time I climbed into a cab and saw the yield monitor climb, mainly because I knew that every extra bushel pulled was extra revenue for our customers – and that’s what we’re all about at Latham.  But I’m not going to lie — seeing Latham hybrids out-yield our competitors by 20 bushels per acre or more didn’t hurt my feelings.

I was usually tweeting (sending out messages on Twitter) during my combine ride-alongs. Here’s just a sampling:

• Rode in the combine of another happy customer. His Latham corn went 10 bushels better than the competition, yielding 212 bu/A in c-on-c.  
• I rode in the combine w/ a customer Fri. whose Latham RR2Y Soybeans averaged 77 bu/acre. That’s the kind of whole-field average we like 2 c!  
• It’s 75 and beautiful and I’m on yet another farm visit for the day. I’m starting to feel a little bit guilty about calling this “work.”  
• Driving to work today, I shared the road with farm equip., school buses and livestock trailers. I’ll take that over a traffic jam any day.  
• It was the perfect day. Great customers and a lot of time in the combine. Okay and beating the competition by 20 bushels wasn’t bad either.

You can learn more about Twitter and sign up for a free account here. Follow us on Twitter at @LathamSeeds! If you already have a Twitter account, let us know your Twitter handle by commenting below and we’ll follow you!

Harvest is complete across Latham Country and what better way to wrap up the season than sharing the success of our customers? I always feel like harvest at Latham is a bit like Christmas: we eagerly wait results, but with the knowledge that no matter what the surprise will reveal, it’s going to be good. 

Today I’m excited to introduce two new Latham radio commercials that highlight customers’ yield results from this season. I was surprised by how much fun I had stepping into the recording booth to create these commercials, but I wasn’t surprised at how much fun it was to read the success stories of our customers and hear the enthusiasm with which they shared their incredible yield results.

Take a minute to listen if you can and please let us know what you think!

Jencks’ Harvest Report

Kevin’s Harvest Report

We’d love to hear how Latham corn hybrids and soybean brands performed in your field.  Feel free to comment below!

And now for the Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Wrap-Up Show…

It feels like I’ve been giving a play-by-play account of growing conditions across Latham Country for the past six months.  We’ve covered everything from seed bed prep to SDS detection and fall harvest results.  Most farmers across our six-state marketing area are finishing fieldwork and, now that temperatures have dropped, are applying anhydrous.(http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/press/cropAndWeather.asp)

The time is also right to focus one’s attention on next year’s seed needs.  The following reports by Latham’s regional sales managers offer tips and insights on product performance in their areas.  To view yield results in your area, visit www.lathamseeds.com.

Northwest Iowa

With harvest complete and most field work and fertilizer applications done, the only thing left is anhydrous ammonia application in Northwest Iowa.  Applicators will be in full force this week as the weather continues to be favorable.  Now it’s time to turn your attention to next year’s seed needs.  Genuity® Roundup® Ready 2 Yield Soybeans jumped ahead of the pack, proving themselves as “the bean” to plant next year.  There are many different corn hybrid options to fit your farming operation with equaled success.  Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids with Genuity® VT3 TriplePro^TM provide an excellent package with late-season insect control.  Latham hybrids with Agrisure® 3000GT have come on strong as well, offering Ignite® as an option for weed control.  Visit www.lathamseeds.com to review yield data in your area.

Central Iowa

Bart Peterson says field work is nearly complete across North Central Iowa and anhydrous applications will be complete by the middle of next week.  Field work is about 50% done in West Central Iowa and farmers are just starting to apply anhydrous there.  Now is a great time to get your seed ordered for 2011.  Many Latham® products will be in demand, so order now while quantities are strong.  Below are Bart’s “top picks” for hybrid seed corn and soybeans in his territory.

North Central Iowa

• “Super Six Picks” on hybrid seed corn: Latham® LH5033 3000GT, LH5228 VT3, LH5376 VT3, LH5494 3000GT, LH5585 SS, and LH5877 VT3.
• “Super Six Picks” on soybeans: Latham® L2084R2, L2085R, L2182R2, L2285R, L2440R2, and L2658R.

West Central Iowa

• “Super Six Picks” on hybrid seed corn: Latham® LH5376 VT3, LH5896 VT3, LH5877 VT3Pro, LH6032 RR, LH6057 SS, and LH6167 VT3Pro.
• “Super Six Picks” on soybeans:  Latham® L2440R2, L2560R, L2658R, L2767R2, L2875R, and L3157R.

South Central Iowa

Harvest is pretty much complete in the northern and central parts of Travis Slusher’s area with some corn left to be harvested in the southern part.  The fall weather has provided many producers great conditions for fall tillage, along with a lot of tiling and terrace and waterway work being done.  Much of the fall fertilizer has been applied.  Farmers are beginning to apply NH3 as temperatures have dropped.

Central Iowa

Harvest, for the most part, is complete across Kevin Meyer’s area.  Producers have taken advantage of one of the nicest falls in recent memory by catching up with some items that didn’t get done a year ago. Now is a good time to study crop notes and finish building a crop plan for 2011.  Strong performance and a diverse line-up of Latham® products offer some great options for next year’s plan.

Wisconsin

A few soil samples are being pulled to see what nutrients will be needed for next year, and Wisconsin farmers are now applying fall fertilizer.  They’re also cleaning up the equipment used during harvest, says Steve Bailie.  Last week’s winds, reaching 50 miles per hour, caused problems for fields of corn that had not yet been harvested. Many growers who have corn remaining in their fields will have a few problems getting the corn fed into the heads of their combine.

South Dakota

Bill Eichacker says corn harvest in South Dakota should rap up this week.  Many farmers are completing field tillage and fertilizer application is going strong.

This year’s harvest is starting to wind down, the weekly weather and crop conditions survey released October 25 shows 86% of Iowa corn acres have been harvested, 35 days ahead of last year and 25 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybean acres harvested are 97% complete, 24 days ahead of last year and 19 days ahead of the 5-year average. (Source: Wallaces Farmer)

South Central Iowa

Harvest is winding up across South Central Iowa, so many producers are doing fall tillage, tiling and fertilizing. Travis Slusher says gale-force winds this week will put corn that is still in the field under an extreme stand-ability test.  Corn yields have been variable to say the least, but there have been some very good performances.  Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids that did well in this area include LH 5645 3000GT, LH 6003 3000GT, LH 6032 RR, LH 6056 VT3, LH 6394 3000GT and LH 6598 VT3.  Some of the standout soybean varieties in this area are L2735R2V, L2984R2, L3186R2, L3268R2 and L2987L. 

Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer reports harvest is almost complete in his territory. Fall fertilizer and tillage is underway with fall anhydrous application set for the end of this week. Soybeans had a very good year, even with a strong presence of SDS in the area. Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybeans L2182R2 and L2440R2 performed very well against the competition with a 6 to 10-bushel advantage.  New products in our soybean lineup, along with proven performance of the Roundup Ready brands, offers some great yield opportunities on soybean acres in 2011. Kevin’s customers saw strong performances from Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids LH 5228 VT3, LH 5376 VT3 and LH 5494 3000GT; LH 5896 VT3 and LH 5877 VT3 PRO rounded out the season with great stalk strength and grain quality in the 108-day maturity.  There was a big improvement in dry down and test weight from the 2010 as compared to 2009 crop.

Wisconsin

Steve Bailie reports most growers in his territory have finished their 2010 harvest of corn and beans. With higher yields, this year many bins are full so growers have had to take the remaining crop to the local elevator or to the river. It’s an inconvenience, but it’s not a bad problem to have, especially considering market price has been above average this fall. Corn yields this year were higher than in the past years.  Steve was amazed by yields on hybrids with the Roundup Ready® trait next to the stacked hybrids. One hybrid that did particularly well in Wisconsin is Latham® LH 4999 RR, which has been pulling yields above 200 bu/A in many locations across the state. Latham LH 4999 RR is an amazing refuge corn choice for growers here. With wet, windy weather in the forecast this week, it’s a great time to finish crop planning and finalizing your 2011 seed purchases.

West Central Iowa

The northern region of Bart Peterson’s territory is done combing corn and soybeans.  Field work is mostly done there, as well.  Anhydrous is being applied.  The western half of Bart’s territory has finished soybean harvest and 10 to 15% of the corn has yet to be combined. 

Northwest Iowa

Big yields require replacement of fertilizer to ensure big yield opportunity for next year, says Tom Larson.  Potash is the most over looked product when going from corn to soybeans.  Consult with your fertilizer specialist about soybeans.

Northern Missouri

Rick Foster reports harvest is still moving along and was slowed a little this weekend with 1 inch of rain.

I’ve always enjoyed harvest and its promise of yield results, but this year has been especially exciting.  More customers than ever have called from the field to share personal stories about incredible product performance.

A customer in northeast Iowa called and thanked his Latham representative for adding $200,000 to his bottom line recently because Latham® LH 5426 VT3 PRO produced 30 bu/A more than the competition. A customer in South Central Iowa reported yields of 70 to 100 bu/A with Latham® L2984R2, and I personally saw this same soybean brand average 72 bu/A across 142 acres near Adel, Iowa.

Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybeans with Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® technology are truly having a break-through year. We’re seeing more customers than ever harvest soybeans in the 70s and 80s – numbers that are beating the competition because our independence allows us to scan the globe for the world’s best genetics.

For a sneak peek at yield results, click here. To see a state-by-state yield report, click on the states below:

Iowa
Nebraska
Minnesota
South Dakota
Wisconsin

More yield results will be posted as they become available, so be sure to check our Website again soon for more exciting news about Latham® performance.

The 2010 harvest will be complete at least one month sooner for the farmers with whom I’ve had the pleasure of talking to as their combining their fields.  (A great, big thank you to those Latham® customers who so graciously let me go a few rounds with them.  It was great fun!)  Everyone I rode with mentioned they will have finished combining all of their crops this year before they even started on corn last year.  What a difference a year makes!

Certainly, the early harvest has people talking.  Of course, farmers are talking about the weather – and the long stretch of warm, dry, sunny days we’ve been blessed with.  In addition, they’re talking about the great yields they’re getting with Latham® products.  Below is a summary of harvest progress and results for several regions throughout our six-state marketing territory.

Wisconsin

If the weather holds the rest of this week, most growers in Steve Bailie’s area will either be done with harvest or their bins will be full. With the amazing corn and bean crop this year, many southwest Wisconsin farmers have filled their bins and are also sending some new crop to a local grain elevator.  In addition to the amazing yields, the corn and bean high market prices also have farmers smiling. Many farmers will realize more income that they originally expected.

One hybrid that has been doing particularly well in Steve’s territory is Latham LH 5536 VT3.  Last week Steve saw this hybrid go over 240 bushels per acre across a 150-acre field. The overall field average was 219 bushel, which is pretty amazing considering this farm has a lower fertility factor than desired for that kind of yield. Many farmers in the southwest part of Steve’s territory also have been very pleased with their bean yields. It hasn’t been uncommon to hear reports of 80-bushel beans. The overall average in this area will be 65 to 68 bu/A, up from 58 to 60 bu/A in recent years.

That being said, Steve recommends growers consider soil sampling this fall for a few reasons: 

1. Record yields in some areas probably took record amounts of fertility from the soil. 
2. It’s also a good time to study areas where improvements can be made.
3. Finish your cropping plans for the 2011 growing season. 

Northeast Iowa

Nick Benson says soybean harvest is 99% complete in his area.  Now that all of the beans have been combined, it’s very apparent farmers here had the best yields in recent years.  Latham Hi‑Tech Soybeans with the Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield^TM technology lived up to their expectations.  Yesterday, Nick took a call from a happy customer who reported that his Latham L2440s beat S21-N6s by 10 bushel! Most growers will finish harvesting corn by the week’s end, and corn yields have been variable.  Some of the top performers in Nick’s area are LH 5425 VT3 and LH 5376 VT3.  Hybrids to keep an eye on in 2011 are LH 4844 3000GT, LH 4999 VT3 PRO, LH 5266 3000GT, LH 5645 3000GT and last, but certainly not least, LH 5877 VT3 PRO.

West Central Iowa

More soil has been turning black in North Central Iowa each day.  Bart Peterson says soybean harvest is complete and corn is 99% done; West Central Iowa is done with soybeans and 65% done with corn. Latham Hi‑Tech Soybeans with Genuity® Roundup Ready to Yield^TM technology continue to be the talk here with L2440R2 and L2084R2 topping most plots.  Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids are also performing strong.  The following hybrids have topped plots throughout West Central Iowa: LH 5877 VT3 Pro, LH 5896 VT3 and LH 6057 SS.

Northwest Iowa

Harvest is coming to an end this week in Tom Larson’s area.  There were a lot of exciting yields recorded, including LH 5376VT3 that yielded 274 bushels per acre.  Another great performer has been LH 5228VT3.  Latham soybean brands with Genuity® Roundup Ready to Yield^TM technology are the yield kings here, with several farmers boasting 80-bushel yields from L2440R2. Many of Latham’s tried and true R1 soybeans are still performing strong here including: L2085R, L2285R, L2560R and L2635R. Yield data will be posted soon on www.lathamseeds.com.

North Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer reports harvest proceeded at break-neck pace in his area this week.  Soybeans are done, and 85% of the corn has been harvested.  Corn yields have been uneven, depending on rainfall and lack/loss of nitrogen, but it’s still a good corn crop. With soybean harvest complete, many farmers are turning their attention to the next crop year. A very strong performance from RR2Y’s and the other products in Latham’s line-up this season is a great start to your cropping plan.  Placement of products on field-by-field basis according to soil type and field history is the key to higher yields, year after year.

South Dakota

South Dakota is ahead of the five-year average with only 5% of the soybeans and about 60% of the corn acres left to be harvested.  Bill Eichacker says yields this year will be another one for the record books in many areas.  Corn moisture and test weight are more appealing than last year as most of the corn is 57 pounds or higher and moisture is in the teens. 

Northern Missouri

All of the rainfall received in Missouri throughout the summer really took a toll on yield this year.

Considering the conditions, Rick Foster says harvest is going quite well with 80-bushel corn.  Soybean yields have been ranging from 40 to 45 bushels per acre.

South Central Iowa

Some producers in Travis Slusher’s area have finished with harvest and now are focused on tillage, tiling and fall fertilizer application.  Soybean harvest is complete and farmers are finishing up corn harvest.  For the most part, corn yields have been variable depending upon soil types and how much water pressure the crop was under.  Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids LH5645 3000GT, stood up very well – compared to competitors and other hybrids – in the low, heavy soils where there was an extreme amount of pressure due to wet soils.